Take advantage of the July snow blower sale

A got an e-mail from Becker Hardware in Colts Neck this morning, saying it received a truckload of snow throwers today and expects another load later next week. The company sold out of those prized possessions on Tuesday.

“Every machine we sell is sold assembled, running and operating, but it is difficult to test machines to our satisfaction during a chaotic mad rush in a blizzard,” owner Dan Becker wrote. “Therefore, the best time to purchase a snow thrower is actually in the summer.”

How many snow storms must we go through before we learn our lesson? Before we stop deciding, panic-stricken, to hop in our four-wheel drives, with a storm of the century bearing down on us, and at the last possible second, find a snow blower?

I’m as guilty as anyone. I saw a great deal on a winter coat this summer and then waited, waited, waited for it to get cold. What’s wrong with me? It’s not like they were going to call off winter this year. Not like I didn’t see it coming. I have a calendar just like the next guy.

But the next guy was rushing to the local hardware store last weekend, too, explaining why there was a sign on the door of Jasper Bros. in Atlantic Highlands on Tuesday saying it would be out of shovels until today. Shovels? Really? You’ve never bought a shovel until now?

Jasper Bros. owner Andrew Hull was more forgiving. He said sometimes shovels break.

He’s right. We should be more forgiving. It’s not consumers who are irrational. We’re perfectly normal. Of course we’re going to buy snow blowers when it snows and suntan lotion when it’s sunny and emergency supplies when there are emergencies.